There is so much churn in the auto business, Daniel, that this has become increasingly more difficult. I had a friendly nearby dealer that knows me and the work we do and would allow us to do the work and he would warranty the defective part through Ford. Unfortunately, there is risk in this for the dealer in that they are not supposed to allow warranty work to be done by a non-Ford dealership - aka Cool Tech. So, the paperwork would be submitted showing that they did the repair... Even in this scenario, our labor costs were paid by the GT owner. Although I never thought I was taking advantage of Ford, it is still an awkward arrangement and as my contact has moved on, I am uncertain about being able to do warranty work going forward. (It doesn't mean I won't ask.)
This presents a conundrum for owners - often times having to choose between free, but inexperienced and a potentially costly alternative for experienced GT labor.
Please don't get me wrong. I am NOT putting myself above any dealership mechanic or their skills and capabilities. Undoubtedly, there are a lot of good mechanics out there and many better than me. However, there just isn't any good substitute for having done something multiple times and knowing the in's and out's of the procedure.
Sorry for the long-winded answer. The silver-lining is that our friends at Ford have done such a remarkable job in designing and building this car that warranty repairs are really very, very minimal - especially when compared to any other vehicle in this class.
